I often see people talking about the fact that they like a certain open-source application, but ‘it’s a shame it’s on Electron’; what does this mean? Is it a privacy thing or a resource thing?
Electron apps is essentially running web apps wrapped as a desktop version. Most of them run like garbage and are always inferior to one made specifically for desktops. The only one I’ve used that runs sensibly is Discord.
As for why people use it, it’s convenient for developers as most of them are familiar with web development and can essentially copy-paste their web application without having to change much.
Electron apps is essentially running web apps wrapped as a desktop version.
worse even: it includes different copies of chromium in each app
Yeah, and since the devs obviously are either too inept to change this or don’t care, they probably never will – this “idea about a runtime mode” issue is open since 2014.
2014 was the same year Microsoft ended support for Windows XP.
So, I assume there’s not an Electron alternative that is able to port internet desktop applications without any privacy or resource issues?
There is Tauri which is very similar but claims to have a lower resource usage and be more secure.
People complain about Electron, but without it there would probably be even fewer cross-platform apps today
Some aspects of it might be less than perfect, but let’s not allow perfect to be the enemy of good
Electron doesn’t automatically mean that an app is bad, just like Unity doesn’t automatically mean that a game is good
Or you could just use the offline functionality built into browsers nowadays instead of Electron.
